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ICT ICT

Ruling the 2024 ban was “illegal”, the Conseil d’État in the Pacific. As Ambassador Qian Bo noted: “Over the years,
concluded that “the Prime Minister’s decision to suspend particularly in the 1970s, we support those countries in the
access to TikTok in New Caledonia in May 2024 did not meet region to be independent, based on their own will. But this is
all of these conditions.” a domestic issue of France, and we respect this is an internal
Reacting to the ruling, La Quadrature criticised the issue.”
loopholes that may allow future governments to ban social
media platforms. They noted “the regimes that have ventured Debate across the region
down the path of arbitrary Internet censorship and been Across the Pacific, there have been repeated calls for
condemned by the European Court of Human Rights are all the banning of TikTok, Facebook, and other social media
authoritarian regimes, led by Russia and Turkey. And perhaps, platforms, despite their popularity amongst young people
tomorrow, France.” and communities reliant on social media for news and
entertainment.
It’s all China’s fault! Governments have promoted such bans by highlighting a
Since 2023, many Western governments have expressed significant rise in cyber bullying and violence against women
concern about TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, arguing in public life, with online harassment of female politicians,
that it comes under Chinese control and may open the way for journalists and sportspeople. In February, PNG Prime Minister
data theft. The United States, Australia and many European James Marape threatened to ban TikTok and Facebook
Union states have banned the use of the TikTok app on after online abuse of Miss Papua New Guinea, May Hasola.
government phones and computers, due to national security Apologising to Hasola and her family, Marape called on police
concerns. and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
In response, the company argues that “TikTok’s department to track down online abusers.
parent company ByteDance Ltd was founded by Chinese Public petitions in Papua New Guinea also called for a
entrepreneurs, but today, roughly 60% of the company is TikTok ban to support “protecting the next generation;
beneficially owned by global institutional investors such preventing unpleasant influences; safeguarding family
as Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna integrity; and ensuring a focus on education and integrity.”
International Group.” TikTok’s current CEO Shou Chew The July 2024 Triennial Conference of Pacific Women
is a third-generation Singaporean, and the company has and other regional women’s meetings have begun to look
headquarters in Los Angeles and Singapore. beyond physical violence and sexual harassment to examples
The China connection appears to be one reason that of cyber-bullying. Speakers at the triennial reported that
TikTok was the app chosen for censorship in New Caledonia. Artificial Intelligence (AI) had led to an increase in deep fake
Responding to media criticism of the ban, French officials pornography, including transposing the faces of women onto
announced that “TikTok was effectively banned on Wednesday pornographic images and videos.
by the Prime Minister and the government because of the Changing social media policy in the Pacific, however, will
interference and manipulation of the platform whose parent be complicated by decisions taken in Washington, given the
company is Chinese.” influence of US internet billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark
Despite the allegation of PRC interference in New Zuckerberg on the Trump administration.
Caledonia, Chinese diplomats and media were notably quiet Last year, former US President Joe Biden signed the
during the early stages of the crisis. China is the largest “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled
export market for New Caledonian nickel, and the Chinese Applications Act”, which proposed that ByteDance sell
government was certainly watching the crisis unfold. But at or transfer TikTok to a non-Chinese company. However,
last year’s Pacific Islands Forum, PRC Special Envoy to Pacific President Donald Trump issued an executive order on his first
Island Countries Qian Bo told Islands Business that “our policy day of office, telling the US Department of Justice to delay
is we never interfere in internal affairs of any countries. We enforcement of these rules.
hope and we trust that the central government of France Now, as the trade war between the United States and China
and the local government will deal with the issue in a very ramps up, TikTok may once again be a casualty of
appropriate manner, which is acceptable to all.” the increasing tensions between the world’s two major
For many decades, successive governments in Beijing have powers.
shown little public support for the right to self-determination

18 Islands Business, April 2025